Mississippi State wide receiver Jameon Lewis (4) is knocked down by Rice safety Julius White (7) as Lewis gains 28 yards on a pass in the first quarter of the Liberty Bowl NCAA college football on Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2013, in Memphis, Tenn.

AP Photo/Mark Humphrey

It seemed hardly noteworthy when Mississippi State junior wide receiver Jameon Lewis hauled in an 8-yard pass from Dak Prescott early in the first quarter of Tuesday's 55th annual AutoZone Liberty Bowl.

But three hours later, the short gain would be remembered as the first strike in a full-blown assault on two long-standing records.

Lewis finished with nine catches for 220 yards in the 44-7 Mississippi State victory at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, breaking Bulldogs school records for receiving yards in a game and receiving yards in a bowl game. With his next-to-last reception — a 23-yarder in the third quarter — he also broke the Liberty Bowl record for receiving yards that had belonged to Houston's Vincent Marshall since 2006.

When it was all over, Lewis seemed more intimidated by the crowd of reporters in the interview room than he ever did by the Rice secondary.

"It was just the game plan and the way the defense was working out," a soft-spoken Lewis said, only when prodded by his coaches and teammates. "I'm just thankful coach put us in the right situation to make plays with one-on-one matchups. I'm just glad I did my job and executed."

Mississippi State fell behind 7-0 to start the game. But Lewis had three catches for 53 yards in the first quarter, including a 28-yarder to help set up the Bulldogs' first score that tied the game.

State scored three more times in the second quarter to build a 27-7 lead going into halftime, and Lewis was instrumental on each of the drives. He had a 35-yard reception to help set up MSU's second touchdown, a 28-yarder on State's third TD drive and a breathtaking 65-yard reception on the Bulldogs' final scoring drive of the half.

"They had two very good cornerbacks, so we were going to attack the interior of their secondary," said Prescott, who passed for 283 yards and set a Liberty Bowl record with five total touchdowns. "It wasn't necessarily set up to go to Jameon. It was just the way the defense was working out."

With the 65-yard reception late in the first half, Lewis pushed his total to 181 receiving yards and established an MSU record for yards in a bowl game. The previous record was set when Willie Harris caught eight passes for 127 yards in a 1993 Peach Bowl loss to North Carolina.

Lewis established a Liberty Bowl record with a 23-yard reception late in the third quarter that pushed his total to 209. Then with an 11-yard reception from backup quarterback Damian Williams in the fourth quarter, he set an all-time Mississippi State record for receiving yards in a game with 220.

The previous MSU record of 215 yards, which was set by David Smith against Texas Tech in 1970, had stood for more than four decades.

MSU coach Dan Mullen couldn't resist ribbing Lewis for not reaching the end zone on his record-breaking night.

"I guess that means we're going to have to go back home and work on his speed," Mullen said, laughing. "We always knew that Jameon was a great playmaker. When he has the ball in his hands, he's special."

Rice coach David Bailiff was less joyful as he heaped praise on Lewis.

"He's a great player," Bailiff said. "We tried covering him, we tried doubling him and he just caught them anyway."